me
apparently urgent business, came upon the motionless figure, stopped
suddenly and then, as the Hermit did not move, went on indifferently. It
was a busy and interesting world, but the attention of the man was upon
the fox cubs.

Suddenly the play came to a halt as all eyes turned toward the thicket
on the opposite side of the little clearing. Following their gaze, the
man saw a full grown fox standing motionless in the sunlight, a rabbit
hanging limply from her jaws. Now a singular thing happened. The cubs,
who had made a wild dash toward the mother, stopped abruptly, stood an
instant, and then, silent as little shadows, vanished into the dark
cave. So far as the Hermit could observe, the mother fox had made no
sound, yet some communication had passed from her to the cubs and they
had instantly and unquestioningly obeyed. The mother stood a moment
longer, alert but unmoving; then, instead of entering the den, she
slipped away. The Hermit caught a glimpse of her circling the thicket
suspiciously, so, not wishing to alarm her unnecessarily, he stole
quietly away, leaving her free to return to the cubs.

Almost daily he paid a visit to the den, keeping well out of sight but
becoming more and more interested in the big cub that he had named
Silver Spot. Often, as he waited, the mother fox would return with food,
and before many days she appeared to become accustomed to the motionless
figure among the hazel bushes, for she no longer sent the cubs to the
den with her silent warning.

The meal finished, she would lie down in the warm sunshine and let the
cubs play rough and tumble games about her, such as those of puppies or
kittens. Worrying her plumy tail and tobogganing from her back seemed to
be favorite pastimes with two of the cubs. Silver Spot had a mind of his
own and would sometimes wander alone to the edge of the clearing, his
attitude expressing intense interest in the world beyond. He never went
farther, however, for his mother, apparently engrossed in the play of
the others, would suddenly raise her head and look intently at the big
cub, who would at once return to the family circle. The Hermit could but
wonder at the perfect understanding which needed no sound audible to
human ears.

The cubs grew fast, but Silver Spot outstripped the others. His fur grew
long and thick and glossy, his brush magnificent. His trim, pointed ears
allowed nothing to escape his active brain. The family, when grown, soon
separa